Testing Angular Momentum Transport and Wind Loss in Intermediate Mass Core Helium Burning Stars

TL;DR

This study uses rotation rates of intermediate mass core helium burning stars to test models of angular momentum loss and internal transport, finding that enhanced loss and differential rotation likely both influence their rotation profiles.

Contribution

It provides new constraints on angular momentum loss and internal rotation in intermediate mass stars during the core helium burning phase.

Findings

Modern angular momentum loss models align better with observed surface rotation rates.

Surface rotation rates are slower than predictions assuming conservation or rigid rotation.

A combination of enhanced loss and differential rotation explains the data better.

Abstract

Stars between two and three solar masses rotate rapidly on the main sequence, and their rotation rates in the core helium burning (secondary clump) phase can therefore be used to test models of angular momentum loss used for gyrochronology in a new regime. Because both their core and surface rotation rates can be measured, these stars can also be used to set strong constraints on angular momentum transport inside stars. We find that they are rotating slower than angular momentum conservation and rigid rotation would predict. Our results are insensitive to the degree of core-envelope coupling because of the small moment of inertia of the radiative core. We discuss two possible mechanisms for slowing down the surfaces of these stars: (1) substantial angular momentum loss, and (2) radial differential rotation in the surface convection zone. Modern angular momentum loss prescriptions used for solar-type stars predict secondary clump surface rotation rates in much better agreement with the data than prior variants used in the literature, and we argue that such enhanced loss is required to understand the combination of core and surface rotation rates. However, we find that the assumed radial differential rotation profile in convective regions has a strong impact on the predicted surface rotation rates, and that a combination of enhanced loss and radial differential rotation in the surface convection zone is also consistent with the data. We discuss future tests that can quantify the impact of both phenomena. Current data tentatively suggests that some combination of the two processes fits the data better than either one alone.